Dodgers Rally Too Little Too Late, But at Least They Showed Some Life

The losses are really starting to pile up for the Dodgers now. The boys in blue have now lost three in a row as the Rockies took the series opener 4-3 on Tuesday night. The Dodgers are looking like the walking dead. They’ve turned leaving runners stranded on base into an art form. It’s almost inspiring how bad they are offensively. Despite a late ninth inning rally that gave them some life, they really stink right now.

Rockies 4 7 0

Dodgers 3 9 0

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The club has all the proper ingredients in place for losing. These are the same ingredients from the 2016 season, but somehow seem a little worse and more frustrating this year. When you put all of these ingredients together you have the perfectly demoralizing and frustrating loss. The Dodgers are like the Gordon Ramsey of pathetic losses.

Here’s what you do. You take a bunch of injury plagued starting pitchers who can’t pitch farther than the fifth inning. You take an overworked bullpen and add a dash of poor bullpen management. You wait to let that simmer for a bit until at least the sixth or seventh innings.

Then grab another bowl and mix in several dashes of sub .220 hitting utility players. Take those players and put them in the lineup every night. Bat them lead-off, cleanup, and well everywhere in the lineup. Do that against every left handed starter. Then add in totally listless regulars and…BAM! You have a perfectly cooked loss.

Speaking of cooked, Hyun-jin Ryu is utterly baked. I’m sorry to say this, and I know it’s sad to see, but he’s finished. This is the third consecutive lousy start Ryu has turned in and he doesn’t look good. He occasionally shows flashes of his old self, but he’s nowhere near the pitcher he once was.

Ryu tossed six innings in tonight’s loss allowing 4 earned runs on seven hits and struck out 7. Colorado hit three home runs off of him. Nolan Arenado hit two monster shots, and Trevor Story hit one of his own. Arenado is a total stud, going 3 for 4 with two home runs and three runs batted in.

Opposing starter Kyle Freeland didn’t pitch outstanding either, but the execrable Dodger offense did him and the Rockies a ton of favors by stranding twelve runners on base. The Dodgers were 5 for 15 with runners in scoring position yet managed to score only 3 runs.

The Dodgers were able to plate one run against Freeland in the bottom of the fourth. With one out in that frame, Kike walked. Gonzo singled Kike to third and after Austin Barnes is called out on strikes like a statue, Joc grounds a base hit past Arenado to score Hernandez. Ryu then singles over Mark Reynold’s head into right proving he’s a better option at the plate then Scott Van Slyke is. Scotty then immediately grounded into a force out to end that inning and the Dodger threat. I’ll explain in a minute as to why he was batting lead-off for those of you who missed the game.

With the Rockies leading 4-1, the Dodgers didn’t do anything on offense again until the bottom of the ninth inning. Of course it was a failed rally as they left the tying and winning runs on base. The Dodgers at least showed some life against Colorado closer Greg Holland. Here’s how it happened.

Chase Utley led off the inning with a walk. After Toles’ grounder moved Utley to second, then Corey Seager’s sinking liner to left field appears to be caught by Dodger annoyance Gerardo Parra. However replay reviews showed that he trapped the ball and the Dodgers had runners at first and third. Turner’s line drive single to left scores Utley and makes the score 4-2 Colorado.

Yasiel Puig smashed a long fly ball to deeeeeeeep left field, but of course Parra makes the catch at the wall. Alas it’s just a long out. But then Yasmani Grandal comes off the bench (he was not starting) to bat for Kike and his groundball single to left scores another run. The score is now 4-3! Can the Dodgers do it? Nope! Gonzo weakly grounds out to end the game. Dodgers lose 4-3.

Earlier in the game Logan Forsythe was hit by a pitch on the foot and was taken out of the game. He has a right toe contusion and is probably day-to-day. What I didn’t understand was Dave Roberts bizarre usage of Scott Van Slyke here. Hernandez was moved to second base, and Van Slyke was placed in left. The problem is Van Slyke is horrendous, and the Dodgers had to play the rest of the game with that automatic out batting lead-off. I have no idea why he’s still here honestly. He’s gotten two hits this year and is now batting .118. I don’t understand why they didn’t just put Utley at second and keep Kike in left? Or put Van Slyke in left later, if they just had to get him in the game. Very odd.

Injury updates

There are other injury updates. Before the game we learned the Dodgers placed left handed reliever Grant Dayton on the DL with an intercostal strain. What’s an intercostal? I don’t know, but they called up Josh Fields again.

There was also a scary moment when Justin Turner was hit by a pitch on his wrist. Thank god he was ok, and ended up staying in the game. He may be pretty sore tonight though, so I hope he gets lots of ice and rest for his wrist.

It was the lack of speed last night that cost us the game. Agon on 2nd, two outs (so he’s running on contact right?), Ryu pushes the ball into RF, all Agon can do is reach 3B. The inning ends with him at 3B, the Dodgers fail to score that run and lose by one run. Poetic justice. Oh well at least the fans had some in the 9th.

And I think there was more positive over Ryu’s performance than meets the eye, IMHO.

Badger, he spotted his pitches well, and he did not walk a bunch of guys, and he dialed it up a few times and was over 90. I was watching the radar gun on the Rockies broadcast. 8 straight K’s by Seager is a little disturbing. Anemic offense. BP did their job and held them at 4. Baez and Fields did a good job. Time to cut SVS loose.

Well, the Rockies have started slow at the plate. They are a better hitting team than they’ve shown.

Ryu is smart. He knows how to pitch, but he won’t get by on a fastball that starts a game at 88 and finishes at 86. If that’s who he is then he will give us 5-6 innings of 5+ ERA and who knows for how long.

I’ve said it before, but for those who may have missed it, it’s a VAS worth repeating, I think AGon and Joc should play every night, taking regular scheduled days off throughout the year that will be covered by SVS and Hernandez. I would probably add Toles to that list too and Gutierrez replaces him. The bench guys get a few at bats as pinch hitters and late inning replacements. Having said that, I don’t think it happens. Our management is vested in their plan and they will be sticking with it.

What if you have really really good bench guys? What if Kike and SVS were playing like they were a couple of years ago and crushing lefties? What if Agon continues to struggle, especially against lefties? Same with Joc? Wouldn’t it make sense to increase the odds of your offense being effective by putting in the best hitter against an individual pitcher.

Players need consistency. They need defined roles. I think Agon, if he’s slipped and needs to sit more, would accept his newly defined role just fine.

Well I was wrong, Kike did bat 5th…no way he belongs in that spot. MJ, they have an idea in their heads and nothing will change that. They are saber metric guys and it is all about matchups and percentages. They have a firm belief that the guys they have in those spots will produce, and Dave Roberts is part of that. It worked a little last year, but not a whole lot. They like versatility and the check all the stats. They believe in the platoon system, and until it falls totally on its ass, they are going to use it. I am out of here for a while, my computer needs a day off.

If one did not play the game or played the game at a decently high level than that said one would not understand the intricacies of playing everyday or getting consistent AB’s. That is something that one usually understands from their very own personal experiences.

Baseball players are notably the most ritually inclined sports personnel. Doing something the same way every day is what creates consistency and a calming effect. Hence, what is needed to be successful at the game.

Treating them as objects that can be plugged in, pulled out, left hanging and therefore them having to change their ritual/preparedness for whether they are playing or not has much deeper negative effects than someone that comes from investment banking and played the stock market would ever understand.

In other words, FAZ is full of crap. I couldn’t agree with you more. Time to quit buying tickets and over-priced gear, make the point to the owners that it is time to quit that failed experiment and go another way.

Feel free to read this article of the young life of Mr. Andrew Friedman but do note that he was injured in the fall of his freshman year. The college baseball season (the real games) are played in the spring. He never played in a real college game.

Keep in mind playing high school baseball is not quite like playing college baseball. If you are a decent or good player in high school you are already better than the majority of the players on the field. In college(or in some cases the minor leagues) is where a young ball player begins to learn that he cannot rely on shear talent. Working at the game and studying the game while understanding what puts you in your comfort zone becomes critical to having success.

Friedman never got to that point. Quit playing as he was not better than the players on the field (in the fall) and never experienced many of the dynamics that I touched upon.

My primary point is that many successful baseball players have daily routines that allow them to get into their comfort zone. Playing sporadically or not knowing if you are in the lineup hampers that mindset.

Comment has been awaiting moderation for awhile now……I’ll try and piece meal my response to you MJ.

Feel free to read the article below of the young life of Mr. Andrew Friedman but do note that he was injured in the fall of his freshman year. The college baseball season (the real games) are played in the spring. He never played in a real college game.

Keep in mind playing high school baseball is not quite like playing college baseball. If you are a decent or good player in high school you are already better than the majority of the players on the field. In college(or in some cases the minor leagues) is where a young ball player begins to learn that he cannot rely on shear talent. Working at the game and studying the game while understanding what puts you in your comfort zone becomes critical to having success.

Friedman never got to that point. Quit playing as he was not better than the players on the field (in the fall) and never experienced many of the dynamics that I touched upon.

My primary point is that many successful baseball players have daily routines that allow them to get into their comfort zone. Playing sporadically or not knowing if you are in the lineup hampers that mindset.

It’s a nice theory but no real way to validate this. The traditional role of the pinch hitter was that he sat around game after game until, at random, he’s asked to come in to hit in some key situation. He doesn’t need to play every day and have some level of consistency to find some comfort zone to be successful.

I think this argument that the starting players have to play every game lest they forget how to hit is specious. SVS could’ve started for most teams a couple of years ago. Kike mashed lefties a couple of years ago. Some folks here were saying he should have just been the starting 2nd baseman instead of signing Ultey…*cough..cough…badger..cough..cough*

They are or were talented guys who put up numbers. If they’re playing up to that level of potential, finding ways to insert guys like that into the lineup is a sound strategy. It’s actually a long season. 162 games is a lot. Players mentally and physically break down. If you have the talent to give your starting players a day off more regularly AND identify a matchup to give your team a slight edge, then I don’t see why this is a problem. In basketball, subs are inserted according to individual matchups all the time. I wonder if Cal Ripkin Jr would have perhaps been a better overall over the course of his career if he was given days off every once in a while.

The problem with this current platoon approach is that SVS and Kike aren’t performing. It’s not really a flaw with the CONCEPT of playing matchups, it’s just that it’s currently not working because specific individuals aren’t performing.

And I would respond that the nucleus of the team (the ones that have been there for much of the 4 pennant winning years) is allowed consistency. They know when they show up at the ball park that they are playing.

Start playing games with them and see what happens.

91 wins is down from the team that FAZ inherited so not sure that is a good barometer. Keep in mind that the Dodgers payroll dwarfs MANY of the teams they play so one could say they should actually be winning more than just 91 or 92 games a year.

You do realize that FAZ for the past 2+ years (soon to be 3 years) has paid more for wins than any other baseball front office in the history of the game.

FAZ generated nothing. Most of the pieces were in place BEFORE Friedman and Zaidi got here. He has plugged in low risk high reward injury prone players whereas Colletti actually got guys who could pitch a whole season before they broke down. He got rid of the star power that was here, and I understand that. The only true super star caliber player the Dodgers have is Kershaw. He is the only reason on this team to buy a ticket. When anyone else pitches it is a total crap shoot. Seager is not a superstar yet, but he is one of the most talented guys on the team. Other wise it is full of guys with declining skills, Gonzo, SVS, Gutierrez, Ethier, Utely, some kids who have not yet reached their potential, a journey man utility player who transformed him self in to a viable everyday 3rd baseman, Turner. One really good closer, Jansen. His rotation is made up of injury prone starters and a guy from Japan who suddenly has forgotten how to pitch effectively. He has a catcher who has power, and not much else, yet is valued because he frames pitches well. His other catcher has limited experience and is more of a contact hitter, but who is far superior defensively. His bench consists of a couple of guys who are supposed to kill lefty’s, SVS, Hernandez, a former star player, Utley, a 27 year old journey man Segedin, A retread reclamation project who has had some bright moments, Toles. His 2nd baseman obtained in a trade, has yet to be able to really showcase what he is all about, no power so far, and injured yesterday. Bullpen has been surprisingly efficient. Hodgepodge of young and old arms. Attendance has dropped in each of his 2 years, and his shuffling up and down of players, signing waiver wire guys to fill holes and his penchant for not making trades at the deadline that actually improve a good team, those are concerns, and everyday fans do not understand his plan. He has given the team depth, but it seems he likes quantity over quality. Getting 2 games from the World Series is still not getting to the World Series. That is not success, it is failure, and supposedly we learn from failure, he has not.

I am always happy Bluto……I love my Dodgers, but they are not the center of my life, I have my grandkids and my dog and fortunately for me, my music. That is what keeps me sane, but thanks for the thought.

I was referring to the fact that he was out of baseball, and then basically picked up of the garbage heap. He has done well, it was not a statement against the player him self. But he is one of FAZ’s reclamation guys, and at this point one of the closest things to a success story….He has a lot of skills.

They are so hard to watch when they face a lefty. If it is a good game, I stay up and watch it. Last night I went to bed at 10:00. Pitching is good. Hitting is terrible. I really do not want to see Kike and SVS anymore. Utley is a wasted position. When is a FAZ going to learn to stop signing these old players. Kendrick last year and Utley this year.

Wow, I had no idea Dr. Fraudy’s boycott was so effective. Now with jonah saying “Time to quit buying tickets and over-priced gear”, FAZ might as well pack up and close shop!!

Well maybe, considering the statement below, seems more likely to me, that the Obozo economy and huge Obozocare premium increases probably had a bigger effect than those two on MLB attendance everywhere.

Major League Baseball’s average attendance dropped 1.1 percent in 2016 but still was the sport’s 11th-highest year.

The NL West champion Los Angeles Dodgers led in home attendance at 3.7 million, followed in the NL by St. Louis (3.44 million), San Francisco (3.37 million) and the Chicago Cubs (3.23 million).

Why don’t you do something useful and share your blister remedies with the Dodgers? After all, it looks like you must regularly generate lots of friction and heat causing blisters. You might even get your 15 minutes of fame!

6:21pm: Fortunately, manager Dave Roberts says it’s only a “hairline” fracture for Forsythe, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com tweets. The expectation is he’ll only be sidelined for a few weeks.

5:56pm: The Dodgers have announced that infielder Logan Forsythe has been placed on the 10-day DL after being diagnosed with a fractured right big toe. Also heading to the DL, in his case with a strain of his right big toe, is Rob Segedin.

To take the now-open roster spots, Los Angeles has promoted a pair of reserve options. Infielder Chris Taylor will be joined by outfielder Brett Eibner in the majors. Presumably, Taylor will join fellow right-handed hitter Enrique Hernandez as options at second base against lefties, with Chase Utley carrying the load when facing right-handed pitching.

Good point patch. De Leon was pitching depth. We already had 2 right handed second baseman, and Utley was clearly coming back, with Calhoun available too. One of those RH second basemen has a .958 OPS, the other just hit a ball with 110 mph exit velocity. (I’m still amazed at that!) Why did we need Forsythe?

All good humor is rooted in life’s absurdities. To invalidate a trade for a young starting second baseman for the next few years because one guy hit one pitch with a certain exit velocity would obviously be absurd.

But, just the fact that Taylor can hit a ball that hard changes my opinion on him. Being a FAZ guy, I’m surprised you don’t appear to appreciate what that 110 means. Of course, some of his peripherals need to improve, but I’m sure what he did last night got noticed by the powers that be. I don’t think we need both he and Kiké.